Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 393

I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, 

I desire mercy, not sacrifice,

you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.

 O ur faith, unlike that of the Pharisees, begins with an abiding assurance that the Lord loves us in any and every case. His love is healing, consoling, challenging, and sometimes punishing. We will occasionally be delighted with it; often guided by it; at other times, disappointed; and occasionally profoundly distressed by the thought that the Lord has abandoned us. 

Like the disciples adrift in a stormy sea, we will wonder if he is asleep, or maybe taking a vacation. We will complain of his silence and his absence. And there's no harm in such complaining for he is neither surprised nor disappointed in anything we do. He knows our sin better than we know ourselves; and he believes as we believe, that our faith, love, and hope will see us through. Our nature is to remain faithful, love both affectionately and severely, and to hope in his promise. God knows that about us because we are made in his image. 

Jesus's declaration, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice," sternly reminds us that his Father may be pleased by our sacrifices, but he is not satisfied. We have more to give; we know it; and he knows it; and he knows that we know it. So there is no point in expecting that God should be satisfied with what we have done already. 

Staying out of trouble, supporting the Church, voting our conscience, keeping the vows and promises we have made: these are all good, but never enough. 

And so we do not take leisure, pleasure, or satisfaction as rewards for our accomplishments. Rather we receive these favors because the Lord gives them to us. As the Psalmist says, "He gives to his beloved in sleep." (127:2) Others might insist, "You deserve this!" but we know better. Gifts accepted with gratitude are far more pleasant and satisfying than anything we have earned. 

We should make sacrifices, it's true. But they are a human thing to do. Mercy is divine; and when we show mercy we're acting with a divine impulse, which is itself a gift. We are given the opportunity to make sacrifices; and when we accept these opportunities in a spirit of love, they become divine. 

Pharisees' -- whether contemporaries of Jesus or Christians in today's churches -- suppose that God is or should be satisfied with enough. They say to their hearts, "You have (done) enough to last many years; eat, drink, and be merry.  

They leave space for themselves in their own lives because they secretly believe that love will suffocate them. They cannot imagine living within the chambers of his Sacred Heart and breathing freely. "It's just too tight in there." and refuse to enter. But they are frustrating God's intention for them, and that's never a good thing. 

Mercy proves itself more free, spacious, and life-giving than giving one's own body to be burned.